"The
old slabside GSXR 1100... it's more than just scary, it's
uh... POOH your pants SCARY!!!"

A report by the owner:
Todd O'Neill (editor of DoctorDanger.com)

Challenge: Having
ridden light weight sports bikes for years I thought it
would be a real challenge to knock around on a big old slabside
gixxer. I've always wanted one of those monsters ever since
Suzuki released the GSXR 1100 way back in 1986.

Research: After conducting
a bit of investigation into the economics of owning one
of these big fellas, things started looking good... cheep
classic insurance (circa £200 p.a. for me and my points),
circa £2000 purchase price, big powerful and dependable
engine (who could over-stress one of those?), pretty much
zero deprecation... and that was enough, I just had to get
one. It took ages to find one that was near to the original
condition (seems most have been 'Streetfighter-ized') but
eventually I found one which was advertised locally (bonus).

Teething: Having
owned the bike for just a few months now, it is taking me
a while to get used to the Suzuki's power output and the
way it handles (or should I say the way it doesn't handle).
The power output is pretty seriousl. Its possible one of
the previous owners might have put a big bore kit in this
old machine because according to the Dyno test it's producing
a whopping 131.7 bhp at the rear wheel - lovely-jubblie!
I'm still experiencing the odd unexpected wheelie when I'm
gently rolling on the throttle in second gear, in fact this
happened the other day when I was putting my visor down,
prompting my first ever one-handed wheelie - yahoo! The
power output continues to impress me, but it might have
something to do with the fact that I have a long history
of riding little screamer sports bikes which didn't deliver
much in the way of torque. Perhaps Chris (who has a Yamaha
R1) and Ricky (Suzuki TL1000S) might find the power of this
old gixxer a bit flat when compared to their modern one-litre
machines, we'll just have to wait and see.

Scary: Now for the
scary stuff - the handling. Well it doesn't really. The
old GSXR 1100 never had a reputation for being good at handling
but I think that's part of the charm of this classic bike.
I don't know about you, but I enjoy a good challenge and
for some bizarre reason I like a scaring the pooh out of
myself, so I guess I've chosen the right bike for me . If
you think getting your knee down on a Yamaha R6 is exciting,
you should try cornering at speed on an old gixxer - God
it races my heart just thinking about it! Despite the minor
suspension upgrades the GSXR's high centre of gravity, flexi
frame, considerable weight and 1980's technology ensures
the GSXR's handling is far from being as sharp or responsive
as modern day machinery. You could say it's a bit wallowy
and that's on a good day. The GSXR seems to handle a bit
better with some weight on it. I'm a bit of a light weight
(I weigh 10.5 stone / 147 lbs) and I found the GSXR handles
much better with my girl friend on the back, it feels much
more planted, and less twitchy and wallowy through the corners.

Right finger: The
front brakes are EXCELLENT. The Harris AP Lockheed conversion
uses big single callipers but boy do they scrub the speed
off quickly. If you are thinking of getting one of these
old Suzuki's, you should put a brake upgrade at the top
of your list! It could be a lifesaver!

Handling, handling and handling. Its
also in too good a shape for me... most every other
bike I've ever owned I've wound up throwing it down
the road, track or had a car drive into me. I'd feel
terrible damaging something that could some day be a
museum piece.

Buying an old GSXR:It's not easy
finding an old slabside GSXR in this kind of condition.
Most have been modified, some turner into streetfighters,
some into dragsters...

If you are looking for a GSXR which will
increase in value, opt for something in original condition
and ensure its a genuine import with no limiters or restrictors.

The Dyno test.
Hmmm... the printout on the left is from a test conducted
a few years back. We don't know if the bike is still knocking
out 131.7 BHP at the rear wheel but it could come close
to that figure.

The test estimated the GSXR's engine
was producing approximately 145 BHP. Hmmm... pretty respectable
figures for a 'classic bike'.

Here's what other members of
DoctorDanger.com had to say after riding the 1987 Suzuki
GSXR 1100.

Chris Kirby
(Yamaha R1 owner)

I
loved it, I thought it was great fun! Its very, very powerful
- its obvious it a bid old fashioned engine and it takes a
while for it to get up to speed but there is loads and loads
grunt there. Handling is ponderous to say the least. You have
to really throw it into the corners and be committed and it
does wallow a lot. It needs to loose about 50lbs, a flash
suspension, and that engine over-run encourages you to go
into corners way too fast

Ricky Mullis
(Suzuki TL1000S owner)

The
first thing I noticed was the terrific amount of heat coming
off the engine compartment and with just a pair of jeans on
it roasted my legs. Slabby does wallow around bit, as you
would expect a slabby to do. Power is pretty good. It's showing
it's age a bit, but it's a pretty good bike.

Dr. Andy
Holmes (Norton Commando owner, Ducati owner, BSA owner...)

At
low speeds the bike feels like it wants to do 'S' shapes down
the road, so I suspect the headraces are a bit tight. At higher
speeds the handling is not as bad as I thought it would be,
its just heavy and ponderous. The engine feels a bit slow
compared to the more modern bikes and a bit vibey. I'd say
it's got the best riding position out of all the bikes tested
(Suzuki TL1000S, Yamaha R1, Norton Commando).